How to Solve Traffic Jams

A morning tip for today. And probably tomorrow, too.

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Jan 16, 2014

We'll cut to the chase, in case you're reading this before you drive to work, during which you'll almost inevitably be stuck in a traffic jam, causing you to be late to work. So we'd like to quickly inform you how, together, we can stop most traffic jams—the kind that start from mergers. The key is in the approach. SmartMotorist.com explained what you need to do:

• Maintain a large space ahead of your car.
• Encourage one, two even three cars to merge ahead of you.
• If traffic slows to a complete stop, KEEP TWO CAR-LENGTHS OF SPACE OPEN AHEAD OF YOU.
• Never "punish" merging drivers by closing your gap.
• Other suggestions

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Over at their website, they have an animation comparing this to how we merge now—scrunched cars squeezing and fighting, right to a near standstill. And the best part is that not even everyone has to do it (because some assholes may not be reformable). As they write, "If only a few drivers will maintain large gaps during heavy traffic, then merging traffic is not forbidden, and the situation [we all go through now] can be prevented."